The air was thick with the scent of victory, though it was also tainted with the remains of what had been lost. The battle had ended, the war for my heart and for our future, but what now? The fires had been doused, the cries of war replaced by the quiet murmur of wolves beginning to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. There was no real winner here, only survivors, but for once, it felt like we might have a shot at something resembling peace.
I stood in the center of the clearing, surrounded by the remnants of the packs—both mine and Elias’s. My heart was heavy, but it was stronger now than it had ever been. I wasn’t the helpless woman I had once been, clinging to the hope of a mate who had discarded me. I was the leader of this pack now. Both packs. And while that responsibility
